Guyana Football Federation (GFF) General Secretary Ian Alves has confirmed that CONCACAF is fully aware of the denial of entry of five Golden Jaguars U-20 internationals to Nicaragua for the impending CONCACAF U-20 Men’s Qualifiers, which is slated for February 15th-23rd.
“We have informed them based on what occurred. We are awaiting the manager’s report and will decide from there what course of action to take. CONCACAF is aware of the situation. We have informed them as is required because they will be expecting a specific number of players to participate,” Alves told Stabroek Sport in an exclusive interview.
According to an official release from the GFF on Wednesday, “Five under 20 players were denied entry into Nicaragua by the immigration authorities. Upon arrival, the immigration authorities informed the staff that a quarantine period of 10 days was required for the yellow fever vaccine. The U-20 contingent did not satisfy that condition. Strangely, however, 10 players with the exact vaccination date were permitted entry into the country. The Under 20 Team Manager also complained about the hostile reception the team received from the Nicaraguan immigration authorities, who subjected the players and staff to several layers of security checks that lasted for hours.”
The players denied entry were Javier George (overseas), Ronaldo Blair, Joel Isaacs, Kemule Batson and Andre Mayers. No member of the seven-person management staff was denied entry. Guyana will now compete with 15 players in the event.
The Guyana team now comprises Goalkeeper Shawn Adonis; Defenders Nicholai Andrews, Joseph DeFreitas, Keanu Lawrence, Eric Moore, and Marcus Wilson; Midfielders Ravon Bailey, Jamar Harrigon, Hutson Hazlewood (overseas), Darron Niles and Threvon Pluck; and Forwards Omari Glasgow, Dorwin George, Nicolas McArthur and Osafa Simpson.
“They [the team] went through Panama and was sent back from Nicaragua to Panama and now the five players are back in Guyana. The players that were on the first flight went through; it was the second flight that players got turned down. Some of the staff and players had their medical cards before; it was those who never had their cards or recently received their shots that got turned down,” Alves revealed.
Asked if the GFF was aware of the 10-day quarantine period in Nicaragua, Alves said, “We were unaware, the only time we became aware or knew about the protocol is when the team landed.”
He further stated that he was unsure if other participating countries were scrutinised in the same manner. “I can’t say if other countries were aware of the protocol and scrutinised as such; from the manager’s perspective, the scrutiny was harsh and not normal,” he said.
“However, understandably it’s the current climate with the coronavirus situation. If I was an officer at the port of entry for my country, I might have done the same thing. Even the manager stated that the current coronavirus situation probably contributed to the issue of players being denied entry and the team being scrutinised,” he added.
Guyana will open their Group A campaign against Montserrat from 17:30hrs on February 15th before battling St Vincent and the Grenadines at 17:30hrs two days onward. They will then oppose the US Virgin Islands on February 21st from 20:30hrs before ending their campaign against the host nation on February 23rd. The winner of the group will advance to the next round.
